1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shin pads for use as protective gear in contact sports, especially ice hockey.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In ice hockey, shins protectors (more commonly referred to as "shin guards" or "shin pads") conventionally have a flexible elongated padded portion which may be arranged to wrap partially around the front of a player's lower leg, from the ankle to just above the knee. (The common term "shin pad" is therefore slightly misleading, since protection for the knee is also provided.) Rigid or semi-rigid plastic shield members are secured to the pad, namely a shin shield running from the ankle to just below the knee, and a knee shield covering the knee. Separate shield members are used, to allow the pad to flex to accommodate bending of the knee.
The shield members are conventionally sewn or riveted to the pad. For example, it is common to sew the knee shield to the pad, and to rivet the shin shield to the pad with large rivets in several spaced-apart locations. The knee shield moves with the knee when the player flexes his leg, simply by the flexibility of the pad.
The length of the pad is fixed, so that as a young player grows, the pad cannot continue to be used for possibly an additional season or two, unless optimum protection is sacrificed. Similarly, the pad cannot be shared by two players, such as where a family has several hockey-playing children who may wish to share equipment.
Furthermore, the length of the pad cannot be optimized to suit the individual ideally.
It would therefore be desirable to have a shin pad which allowed for at least some adjustment in length. At the same time, it would be desirable to have a shin pad which would have a varus/valgus adjustment for further optimization to fit the player ideally.